3rd Division

The history of 3rd Division

One of the first British formations to move to France as part of the original British Expeditionary Force and one of the first into action, the 3rd Division remained on the Western Front throughout the war. It took part in most of the major actions, including:

1914
The Battle of Mons and the subsequent retreat, including the the Rearguard action of Solesmes
The Battle of Le Cateau
The Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Aisne including participation in the Actions on the Aisne heights
The Battles of La Bassee and Messines 1914
First Battle of Ypres

1915
Winter Operations 1914-15
The First Attack on Bellewaarde
The Actions of Hooge
The Second Attack on Bellewaarde (in support of the opening attack in the Battle of Loos)

1916
The Actions of the Bluff and St Eloi Craters (local operations 1916)
The Battle of Albert*
The Battle of Bazentin* in which the Division helped capture Longueval
The Battle of Delville Wood*
The Battle of the Ancre*
The battles marked * are phases of the Battles of the Somme 1916

1917
The First Battle of the Scarpe**
The Second Battle of the Scarpe**
The Battle of Arleux**
The Third Battle of the Scarpe** in which the Division helped capture Roeux
The battles marked ** are phases of the Battles of Arras 1917
The Battle of the Menin Road***
The Battle of Polygon Wood***
The battles marked *** are phases of the Third Battle of Ypres
The Battle of Cambrai 1917

1918
The Battle of St Quentin****
The Battle of Bapaume****
The First Battle of Arras 1918****
The battles marked **** are phases of the First Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battle of Estaires+
The Battle of Hazebrouck+
The Battle of Bethune+
The battles marked + are phases of the Battles of the Lys
The Battle of Albert++
The Second Battle of Bapaume++
The battles marked ++ are phases of the Second Battles of the Somme 1918
The Battle of the Canal du Nord^
The Battle of Cambrai 1918^
The battles marked ^ are phases of the Battles of the Hindenburg Line
The Battle of the Selle

The Division was selected to advance into Germany and form part of the Occupation Force.

The order of battle of the 3rd Division

7th Brigade

This Brigade left 3rd Division to go to 25th Division on 18 October 1915

3rd Bn, the Worcestershire Regt

2nd Bn, the South Lancashire Regt

1st Bn, the Wiltshire Regt

2nd Bn, the Royal Irish Rifles

1/1st Bn, the Honourable Artillery Company

joined from 8th Bde 9 December 1914, left 14 October 1915

1/4th Bn, the South Lancashire Regt

joined 24 February 1915, left to become Pioneers 12 October 1915

8th Brigade

2nd Bn, the Royal Scots

2nd Bn, the Royal Irish Regt

left 24 October 1914

4th Bn, the Middlesex Regt

left 13 November 1915

1st Bn, the Gordon Highlanders

left 12 September 1914, returned 30 September 1914

1st Bn, the Devonshire Regt

joined 14 September 1914, left 30 September 1914

2nd Bn, the Suffolk Regt

joined 25 October 1914, left for 76th Bde 22 October 1915

1/1st Bn, the Honourable Artillery Company

joined 10 November 1914, left for 7th Bde 9 December 1914

1/4th Bn, the Gordon Highlanders

joined 27 February 1915, left for 76th Bde 19 October 1915

13th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regt)

joined 23 October 1915, left for 9th Bde 4 April 1916

7th Bn, the King’s (Shropshire Light Infantry)

joined from 76th Bde 19 October 1915

1/5th Bn, the London Regt (LRB)

joined 25 October 1915, left 10 February 1916

8th Bn, the East Yorkshire Regt

joined 16 November 1915, left 17 February 1918 to form 10th Entrenching Bn with 12th West Yorks

1st Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers

joined from 9th Bde 5 April 1916

8th Machine Gun Company

formed on 22 January 1916
left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918

8th Trench Mortar Battery

joined by 18 April 1916

9th Brigade

This Brigade temporarily transferred to 28th Division between 17 February and 2 April 1915, in exchange for 85th Brigade from that Division

1st Bn, the Northumberland Fusiliers

4th Bn, the Royal Fusiliers

1st Bn, the Lincolnshire Regiment

left 13 November 1915

1st Bn, the Royal Scots Fusiliers

left for 8th Bde 5 April 1916

1/10th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment)

joined 25 November 1914, left 6 January 1916

12th Bn, the West Yorkshire Regiment

joined 16 November 1915, left February 1918

9th Brigade Machine Gun Company

formed on 8 February 1916
left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918

13th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment)

joined from 8th Bde 4 April 1916

9th Trench Mortar Battery

joined by 1 May 1916

76th Brigade

This Brigade was transferred from 25th Division on 18 October 1915 in exchange for 7th Brigade.

8th Bn, the King’s Own (Lancaster)

10th Bn, the Royal Welsh Fusiliers

left 15 February 1918 to form 8th Entrenching Bn with 19th RWF

7th Bn, the King’s (Shropshire Light Infantry)

left 19 October 1915 for 8th Bde

13th Bn, the King’s (Liverpool Regiment)

left 23 October 1915 for 8th Bde

1st Bn, the Gordon Highlanders

joined from 8th Bde 19 October 1915

2nd Bn, the Suffolk Regt

joined from 8th Bde 22 October 1915

76th Brigade Machine Gun Company

formed on 13 April 1916
left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918

76th Trench Mortar Battery

joined on 1 April 1916 as 43rd TMB but immediately renamed

Divisional Troops

under direct command of Divisional HQ

1/4th Bn, the South Lancashire Regt

became Divisional Pioneer Battalion from 7th Bde 12 October 1915, left 9 January 1916

20th Bn, the King’s Royal Rifle Corps

joined as Divisional Pioneer Battalion 19 May 1916

233rd Company, the Machine Gun Corps

joined 18 July 1917
left to move into 3rd MG Battalion 6 March 1918

3rd Battalion, the Machine Gun Corps

formed 6 March 1918

3rd Divisional Train ASC

comprised 15, 21, 22, 29 HT Companies ASC

11th Mobile Veterinary Section AVC

206th Divisional Employment Company

joined 31 May 1917 at which time it was 8th Divisional Employment Company; renamed in June 1917

3rd Divisional Motor Ambulance Workshop Unit

joined by 18 April 1915, transferred to Divisional Supply Column 9 April 1916

Divisional Mounted Troops

under direct command of Divisional HQ

B Squadron, the 15th (King’s) Hussars

left 14 April 1915

C Sqn, South Irish Horse

joined May 1915, left 11 May 1916

3rd Company, Army Cyclist Corps

left 31 May 1916

Divisional Artillery

XXIII Brigade, RFA

left to become an Army Brigade 21 January 1917

XL Brigade, RFA

XLI Brigade, RFA

XXX (Howitzer) Brigade, RFA

broken up 14 May 1916

3rd Divisional Ammunition Column

48th Heavy Battery RGA

left 19 April 1915

No 5 Pom-Pom Section RGA

attached 20 September 1914 to December 1914

No 5 Mountain Battery RGA

attached 14 December 1914 to 3 March 1915

V.3 Heavy Trench Mortar Battery RFA

formed July 1916, left 6 March 1918

X.3, Y.3 and Z.3 Medium Mortar Batteries RFA

joined in February 1916; in February 1918, Z broken up and batteries reorganised to have 6 x 6-inch weapons each

Royal Engineers

56th Field Company

57th Field Company

left 7 April 1915

438th (1/1st Cheshire) Field Company

joined 22 December 1914

529th (1/1st East Riding) Field Company

joined 20 September 1915

3rd Divisional Signals Company

Royal Army Medical Corps

7th Field Ambulance

8th Field Ambulance

9th Field Ambulance

left for Guards Division 26 August 1915

142nd Field Ambulance

joined 26 August 1915

4A Sanitary Section

joined 9 January 1915, left 3 April 1917. reitled as 5th Sanitary Section in April 1916

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